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Highway road construction crews typically face multiple injury risks under conditions that may change suddenly without any warning.
Highway workers are at risk of injury or death from:
1. Passing Traffic Vehicles
Real-Life Scenario: A flagger dressed in full reflective vest, pants, and hard hat, was directing traffic at one end of a bridge during a night operation. The work zone was fully marked with cones and signs, and the entire bridge was illuminated with street lights. The flagger was facing oncoming traffic while standing under portable flood lights. A pickup truck traveling in the wrong lane going about 55 to 60 miles per hour, struck the flagger head on.
2. Construction Equipment in the Work Zone
Real-Life Scenario:
A highway construction laborer was working in a gravel-unloading operation. His normal job was to operate the generator for the conveyor system that moved unloaded gravel. On this particular day, a dump truck driver needed help opening the gates of his belly dump trailer. So the laborer went under the trailer to manually open the gates. Not realizing that the laborer was under the trailer, the driver pulled away from the unloading platform and ran over him. The laborer was pronounced dead at the scene.
3. Construction Vehicles Entering, Leaving, and Operating Inside the Work Zone
Real-Life Scenario: A construction crew was paving the northbound side of the Interstate. The far left and middle lanes of the highway had been closed to traffic as two pavers operating simultaneously. A construction laborer was shoveling old asphalt from around a catch basin approximately 12 feet behind the paver's work area. A tractor-trailer delivering hot asphalt pulled away from the paver in the middle lane and began backing. Hearing other workers yelling, the driver stopped and got out of the vehicle. He had run over the laborer with the four left rear wheels. The laborer was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition to vehicle and equipment related hazards, highway workers are at risk of injury or death from:
- contact with overhead power lines
- falls from machinery or structures
- gas line explosions
- being struck by falling objects or materials
Among all work zone fatalities, the leading occupations were:
- Construction Laborer (42%)
- Truck Driver (9%)
- Construction Trades Supervisor (8%)
- Operating Engineer (8%)
If you are an injured road crew worker in need of workers' compensation,
CALL NOW to discuss your case with John Gee for FREE!
513-829-6606 | 513-489-8787 Serving Butler County, Warren County, Hamilton County including:
Hamilton, Fairfield, Middletown, Trenton, Oxford and Ross, Ohio.
Kentucky and Indiana residents with Ohio based employers must file their claim in Ohio and use an Ohio Attorney.
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